The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting Kosovo’s first wind farm with an €18 million loan.
The 32.4 MW Kitka wind farm in eastern Kosovo started operating in October 2018 and is part of ambitious plans in the country to boost renewable energy generating capacity. The investment by EBRD represents a “milestone” in decarbonisation in Kosovo, which is heavily reliant on coal for its energy, EBRD said.
Kitka is equipped with nine GE 3.6 MW-137 wind turbines and was developed by Turkish company Guris. It will raise annual national electricity generation by more than 1.4 per cent, according to the EBRD.
In a statement, EBRD said: “The EBRD financing follows a successful policy engagement with the authorities in Kosovo to refine the renewable offtake framework. These reforms were critical to unlock financing for renewable projects and are expected to attract significant investor interest to Kosovo.”
Kosovo’s current Energy Strategy sets an ambitious target of introducing about 400 MW of renewable projects by 2026. More renewable energy will help address both the challenge of power cuts and pollution caused by the lignite coal powering Kosovo’s two main electricity plants.
